Emergency breathing apparatus incorporating gas storage vessel comprising a polymeric container system for pressurized fluids

Abstract

An emergency breathing apparatus includes a hood, a gas storage pack, and a supply conduit connecting the hood and the gas storage pack. The gas storage pack includes a pressure vessel formed from a plurality of hollow chambers, which have either an ellipsoidal or spherical shape, interconnected by a plurality of relatively narrow conduit sections disposed between consecutive ones of the chambers. The pressure vessel includes a reinforcing filament wrapped around the interconnected chambers and interconnecting conduit sections to limit radial expansion of the chambers and conduit sections when filled with a fluid under pressure. The gas storage pack further includes a fluid transfer control system attached to the pressure vessel for controlling fluid flow into and out of the pressure vessel and a housing for containing the pressure vessel. During use, the hood is worn over the head of a person and a breathable gas, supplied by the supply conduit from the pressure vessel to the hood, creates a positive pressure within the hood relative to ambient pressure, thereby permitting the person wearing the hood to breath and protecting the person from noxious gases outside the hood.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. An emergency breathing apparatus comprising: 
       a hood adapted to be worn over the head of a person;  
       a gas storage pack including a pressure vessel for containing a supply of a breathable gas, said pressure vessel comprising:  
       a plurality of hollow chambers, each having a generally ellipsoidal shape;  
       a plurality of conduit sections, each being positioned between adjacent ones of said plurality of hollow chambers to interconnect said plurality of hollow chambers, each of said conduit sections having a maximum interior transverse dimension that is smaller than a maximum interior transverse dimension of each of said hollow chambers; and  
       a reinforcing filament wrapped around said hollow chambers and said conduit sections,  
       said gas storage pack further comprising a gas transfer control system attached to said pressure vessel and constructed and arranged to control flow of gas into and out of said pressure vessel and a housing for containing said pressure vessel; and  
       a supply conduit operatively connected to said hood and said gas transfer control system to supply breathable gas from said pressure vessel into said hood to assist a person wearing said hood to breathe, wherein said housing comprises:  
       a first foam shell having a number of depressions formed therein corresponding to the number of hollow chambers comprising said pressure vessel, each of said depressions having a shape and size that correspond to approximately one half of each of said hollow chambers, adjacent ones of said depressions being connected by interconnecting channels, each of said channels having a size and shape corresponding to approximately one half of each of said conduit sections, said depressions and interconnecting channels being arranged in a preferred configuration of said plurality of chambers and conduit sections; and  
       a second foam shell having a number of depressions formed therein corresponding to the number of hollow chambers comprising said pressure vessel, each of said depressions having a shape and size that correspond to approximately one half of each of said hollow chambers, adjacent ones of said depressions being connected by interconnecting channels, each of said channels having a size and shape corresponding to approximately one half of each of said conduit sections, said depressions and interconnecting channels being arranged in a preferred configuration of said plurality of chambers and conduit sections,  
       said first foam shell being arranged with said depressions and interconnecting channels thereof in opposed facing relation with respect to corresponding depressions and interconnecting channels of said second foam shell, said pressure vessel being disposed between said first and second foam shells with said plurality of hollow chambers and conduit sections being encased within mating depressions and interconnecting channels, respectively, of said first and second foam shells.